What makes you who you are today? Research is revealing how everything from our risk of disease to our personality could be shaped by a mysterious world we all experienced, yet none of us can remember, in the womb.

The months before you were born were so crucial – researchers believe it defines who you are today. (iStock)

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The above BBC feature documentary explores what happens in the 9 months of pregnancy and how our birth records can reveal a thing or two about our development and subsequently, our future too.

Imagine we could make scientific predictions about people’s lives from the moment they are born.

Imagine we could predict every personality trait, illness, lived experience, before they happen.

Over 20 years ago, practising doctor and professor David Barker, from the University of Southampton, started his study. But it wasn’t part of a larger scientific report per se, and there were no high-tech labs and experiments involved, only the birth records of the county.

“I think their destiny is in large part already wrought,” he explains, looking at photographs of ordinary people from a decade ago. “Much of their lifetime’s wellbeing and mental ability, physical ability and health is already determined.”

Could it be?

The above documentary explains how everything from our risk of disease to our personality could be shaped by a mysterious world we all experienced, yet none of us can remember, in the womb. They believe they've even discovered what makes for a healthy, happy, long life.